Lifesaving apparatus for boats



Y' 1942. A. A. NELSON 2,282,821v

LIFESAVING APPARATUS FOR BOATS Filed March 28, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ll'f. I

Alu -roe Ameo/v A. N51. JON

J WMIVAM Patented May 12, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LIFESAVIN G APPARATUS FOR BOATS Aaron A. Nelson, Little Falls, Minn. Application March 28, 1940, Serial No. 326,409-

3 Claims.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in life saving apparatus for boats,

and more particularly to a buoyant, raft-like structure adapted to be removably supported in a boat.

Boats, as now commonly constructed, particularly row boats, do not always provide adequate protection for the occupants thereof, in the event that the boat is capsized or, for some reason, tends to sink. Many boats, after they have been in service for a long time, become more or less water-logged and lose their buoyancy, whereby should they accidentally become filled with water, they offer very little protection to the occupants thereof. Some boats are now provided with pontoons which, in some cases, are built into the side walls thereof, or are permanently fixed under the seats of the boat. Boats so constructed may provide some degree of protection, in that the boat will not sink, if capsized. It is necessary, however, for the occupants of the boat, who may have been plunged into the water, to grasp hold of the boat in order to keep afloat. A boat, when overturned, it not always easy to grasp hold of,- because the bottom surface thereof may be more or less slippery from having been in the water.

It is therefore desirable that some means be provided whereby when a boat accidentally overturns or becomes filled with water and tends to sink, the occupants thereof may readily be kept afloat until help arrives. The present invention pertains to a novel life saving raft or structure adapted for use in combination with a boat,

whereby should the boat overturn or sink, said life saving raft or structure will become detached and separated from the boat, whereby the occupants of the boat may grasp hold of it and thereby support themselves in the Water without danger of sinking, the buoyant characteristics of the raft preferably-being such that the occupants may climb onto the raft and seat themselves thereon until help arrives or until they drift ashore.

An object of the present invention therefore is to provide a life saving raft comprising a skeleton frame adapted to be removably supported in a boat and comprising a plurality of buoyant members which serve to keep said raft afloat in the water, in the event that the raft becomes detached from the boat, should the latter capsize or sink.

A further object is to provide a life saving raft for boats comprising opposite side rails shaped to conform substantially to the side walls of the boat in a lengthwise direction, and said rails being secured together by transversely disposed seat members each having a pontoon secured to the under side thereof, whereby should the raft become detached from the boat, the occupants of the boat may readily climb onto the seats of the raft and thus remain afloat indefinitely or until rescued.

Other objects of the invention reside in the simple and inexpensive construction of the apparatus and whereby it may readily be fitted into a boat, and whereby said raft will provide the usual seats of the boat; in the provision of such a life saving raft which comprises side rail members adapted to be fitted against the side walls 7 of the boat and having a plurality of pontoons secured thereto in crosswise relation, and a longitudinally extending member connecting together said pontoons and providing a support for persons, said longitudinally extending member being so arranged that when a load is carried thereon, such as one or more persons, the raft will remain upright in the water and provide an adequate and comfortable support for persons seated thereon.

Other objects of the invention will appear from the following description and accompanying in the boat;

Figure 3 is'a cross-sectional view substantially on the line 3 3 of Figure 1;

V Figure 4 is atop plan view of the raft removed from the boat;

Figure 5 is a view showing the raft detached from the boat and supporting two persons; and

Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view on the line 65 of Figure 4.

In the selected'embodiment of the invention here shown, there is illustrated in Figures 1, 2,

and 3, for, purposes of disclosure, a boat, generally indicatedby the numeral 2 and having side walls 3 and'a bottom wall 4.

The invention isbest shown in Figures 4, 5,

and 6, and comprises a raft-like structure, generally designated by the numeral 5, comprising side rails 6, preferably shaped to conform substantially to the contour of the side walls 33 of the boat, in a lengthwise direction, as best illustrated in Figure 1. The side rails 6-6 are shown secured together by a plurality of cross members 1, 8, 9, and III, which may be utilized as seats, when the raft is positioned in the boat, as shown in Figures 1, 2, and 3.

A plurality of buoyant members or pontoons ll, [2, l3, and [4, are secured to the bottoms of the seat members I, 8, 9, and I0, respectively, as

shown, to provide adequate buoyancy for the raft'f' whereby it will readily support several persons,.

in the event that it becomes necessary to utilize the raft as a life saving device.

A longitudinally extending member I5 is shown secured to the bottoms of the pontoons l I, l2, l3,

and M by such means as brackets IS. The member l5 cooperates with the seat members I, 8, 9, and I and the side rails 6 to provide a very rigid and substantialstructure, which is extremely light in weight, whereby the entire raft-like structure may readily be handled, as when placing it in a boat or lifting it out of the water. The elongated member l may alsobe utilized as a seat or supporting member for persons, as shown in Figure 5. When thus seated on the member l5, the side rails 6 may be used as hand rails to support the body.

To removably support the raft 5 in the boat, a plurality of cleats or strips l1, l8, l9, and are shown secured to the side walls of the boat, adapted to be engaged by the ends of the seat members 1, 8, 9, and ID, as best shown in Figures 21 and 3. The end cleats I"! and 20 may be provided with upstanding portions 2| to prevent relative endwise movement of the raft within the boat.

By reference to Figures 3 and 6, it will be noted that the ends of the pontoons are rounded or shaped to conform substantially to the contour of the side and bottom walls of the boat, in a cross-wise direction, whereby the pontoons are spaced from the walls of the boat, as best shown in Figure 3. By thus shaping the ends of the pontoons, the raft may readily be removed or become separated from the boat, should the boat capsize or tend to sink.

The novel life saving raft herein disclosed, has been found very practical and efficient in actual operation. When mounted in a boat, as shown in Figures 1, 2, and 3, the transverse seat members I, 8, 9, and I0 function as seats for the boat and substantially conceal the pontoons secured to the bottom sides thereof. The longitudinally extending bottom member 15 may serve as a foot board, when the apparatus is positioned in the boat, and, when the raft is removed from the boat, and is afloat in the water, as shown in Figure 5, it may. serve as a seat. It will thus be noted that the presence of the raft in the boat does not, in any way, impair the efficiency of the boat or change the general appearance therefrom from an ordinary conventional boat.

By supporting the raft on the cleats 11, I8, I9, and 20, securedto the side walls of the boat, the raft is readily detached from the boat, should the latter accidentally capsize or fill with water, it being understood that the raft is loosely supported on the cleats by gravity. If, for any reason, the raft should accidentally become secured or fixed in the boat, whereby it could not become --to serve the intended purpose.

separated therefrom, should the boat tend to sink or capsize, the pontoons of the raft will prevent the boat from sinking, whereby the occupants of the boat who may have been plunged into the water, may readily keep afloat by grasping the upper edges of the side walls of the boat.

A pontoon is preferably provided beneath each cross-seat l, 8, 9, and ID, as shown in the drawings. If desired, however, one or more of the pontoons may be omitted, depending upon the size of the boat provided, of course, that the pontoons on the raft provide adequate buoyancy It will also be noted by reference to the drawings, that the buoyant members herein disclosed are in the form of air tight tanks secured to the cross seats 1, 8, 9, and ID. If desired, other forms of buoyant members may be secured to the cross members provided that they provide the necessary buoyancy to support the maximum load to be supported on the raft.

In the drawings, I have shown a plurality of cleats l1, l8, I9, and 20, secured to the side walls of the boat for supporting the raft therein. If desired, a single cleat may be provided on each side wall of the boat, extending the full length of the raft.

From the foregoing, it will be noted that the novel life-saving raft herein disclosed, when used in combination with a boat, provides a dual function, in that it provides the usual cross seats for the boat and also a life saving raft for saving the occupants of the boat in the event that the latter is capsized or sinks. The raft herein disclosed, also facilitates cleaning the interior of the boat because when the raft is removed from the boat, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, the entire interior of the boat is free from obstructions which might be caused as a result of other elements secured to the walls of the boat, as is now common practice. If desired, the raft may also be used by swimmers or bathers, independently of the boat, as a diving platform, which further broadens the utility of thedevice.

I claim as my invention:

1. In combination with a boat having side walls curved in a direction lengthwise thereof and a bottom, a life-saving structure adapted to be removably and loosely supported therein, said structure comprising opposed side hand rails of small crosssection shaped to conform substantially to the contour of the side walls of the boat in a direction lengthwise thereof, a plurality of seat members secured to said side rails and extending transversely of the boat, buoyant means secured beneath said seat members, the lower surface of said buoyant means being shaped to conform generally to the contour of the side walls and bottom of the boat in a transverse stantially to the contour of the side walls of the boat in a direction lengthwise thereof, a plurality of seat members secured to said side rails and extending transversely of the boat, buoyant means secured beneath said seat members, the lower surface of said buoyant means being shapedto conform generally to the contour of the side walls and bottom of the boat in a transverse direction thereof, an elongated reinforcing member secured to the intermediate bottom portions of the buoyant members and extending substantially the length of the structure, whereby should the boat capsize said structure may readily become detached and separated from the boat.

3. In combination with a boat having side walls curved in a direction lengthwise thereof and a bottom, a life-saving structure adapted to be removably and loosely supported therein, said structure comprising opposed side hand rails of small cross section shaped to conform substantially to the contour of the side walls of the boat in a direction lengthwise thereof, a plurality of seat members secured to said side rails and extending transversely of the boat, buoyant means secured beneath said seat members, the lower surface of said buoyant means being shaped to conform generally to the contour of the side walls and bottom of the boat in a transverse direction thereof, an elongated reinforcing member secured to the intermediate bottom portions 

